{"id":1719,"date":"2015-11-15T13:45:29","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T18:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=1719"},"modified":"2015-11-15T13:45:29","modified_gmt":"2015-11-15T18:45:29","slug":"33rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/33rd-sunday-in-ordinary-time-year-b-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

33rd<\/sup> Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B<\/a>
\nDaniel 12:1-3
\nPsalm 16, 5, 8-11
\nHebrews 10:11-14, 18
\nMark 13:24-32
\nNovember 15, 2015<\/p>\n

Once again we draw to a close of another year.\u00a0 The year 2015 draws to a close in a month and a half but before then, in just two weeks, we end our liturgical year and begin another one with Advent.<\/p>\n

So, again just like every other year, our readings shift to the end times.\u00a0 We use the end of the year as a time to think about the end of this world as we know it.<\/p>\n

Our readings speak of the end times as a time unsurpassed in distress<\/em>.\u00a0 Jesus speaks of tribulation<\/em> and how the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light<\/em>.\u00a0 The angels will be sent out to gather the elect.\u00a0 Those not found among the elect with face an everlasting horror and disgrace<\/em> in Hell.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t want to think about everlasting horror and disgrace<\/em> or a time unsurpassed in distress<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We might feel like we live in a time unsurpassed in distress<\/em>.\u00a0 All you have to do is to look at the many terrible things going on in the world.\u00a0 Just Friday\u00a0we had the violence in Paris with shootings and bombs.\u00a0 We might feel like that was far away but there were Americans there and at least one American dead among the 139 dead and hundreds injured.\u00a0 We see violence in our own streets.\u00a0 What are we to do?\u00a0 We can work to become the best Catholics we can and then help others to know Christ also to prepare for Christ\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n

When we think of the \u2018end time\u2019, we might often think of judgment, Jesus separating the good and the bad.\u00a0 The good (the elect in today\u2019s gospel) will indeed be separated from the bad.\u00a0 The good will be taken up to the heavenly kingdom while the bad will be sent to everlasting horror and disgrace<\/em> in Hell.<\/p>\n

Some people ask if God ever really sends anyone to Hell.\u00a0 I firmly believe that God does not want anyone to be in Hell.\u00a0 Look at all God has done.\u00a0 There was the flood with Noah but not all were destroyed and God promised to never send such a great flood again.\u00a0 God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt and gave us the commandments to know how to live.\u00a0 God sent numerous prophets to help the people understand their failings and to call for repentance.\u00a0 When that was not enough, God sent his only Son, not to condemn the world but to save it.\u00a0 Jesus gave his life for us.\u00a0 God does everything possible to save us.<\/p>\n

God does not want anyone to end up in Hell.<\/p>\n

God gives us numerous warnings (like in today\u2019s readings).\u00a0 God will forgive us countless times if we keep coming to him when we fall into sin but we must repent.<\/p>\n

There is no limit to God\u2019s mercy but we have to turn our hearts to God with a desire to change.\u00a0 We cannot just keep saying \u2018God will just have to forgive me.\u2019<\/p>\n

Will God keep forgiving us?\u00a0 Of course! But we have to make a real effort to change.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way.\u00a0 How do you feel when someone does something bad towards you, says they\u2019re sorry, but then keeps doing the same bad thing to you over and over.\u00a0 They know you will forgive them (and we should) so they don\u2019t bother to make any effort to change.\u00a0 They just presume you will always forgive them.\u00a0 How does that make you feel?\u00a0 Do you feel taken advantage of?\u00a0 Do you feel like they don\u2019t really care about you?\u00a0 Do you wonder if they have any desire to change?\u00a0 Are you hurt by them?<\/p>\n

Now ask yourself if you ever do the same thing to God.\u00a0 Do you keep doing the same sin over and over and just say \u2018it is no big deal, God will forgive me\u2019?\u00a0 I\u2019m not talking about when we try to change here, just when we don\u2019t want to bother.<\/p>\n

God wants to forgive us.\u00a0 We can come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation as many times as we need.\u00a0 God knows we are weak.\u00a0 God knows that even when we desire to change, we can fall short and God will forgive us but we must have the desire <\/em>to change.<\/p>\n

Let us pray that God help us to have a repentant heart and a firm desire to change so that one day we can be with Him in Heaven.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16, 5, 8-11 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Mark 13:24-32 November 15, 2015 Once again we draw to a close of another year.\u00a0 The year 2015 draws to a close in a month and a half but before then, in just two weeks, we end our liturgical …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-rJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1719"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1721,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions\/1721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}